Reasoning is fundamental to knowing and doing mathematics but when do we reason, what does reasoning 'look like' and how can we help children get better at it? This feature is in two parts:
The first article and accompanying selection of tasks offer opportunities for learners to reason for different purposes and in different ways.
The second article and accompanying tasks offer support in helping learners become expert reasoners.
The first article and accompanying selection of tasks offer opportunities for learners to reason for different purposes and in different ways.
The second article and accompanying tasks offer support in helping learners become expert reasoners.
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Reasoning: Identifying Opportunities ( Article )
In this article for primary teachers we consider in depth when we might reason which helps us understand what reasoning 'looks like'.
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Reasoning: The Journey from Novice to Expert ( Article )
This article for primary teachers suggests ways in which we can help learners move from being novice reasoners to expert reasoners.
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Reasoning: The Journey from Novice to Expert ( Selection of tasks )
These tasks particularly lend themselves to helping children along the journey from novice reasoner to expert reasoner.
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Reasoning: Identifying Opportunities ( Selection of Tasks )
These tasks offer opportunities for learners to reason for different purposes and in different ways.
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Primary Proof?
Proof does have a place in Primary mathematics classrooms, we just need to be clear about what we mean by proof at this level.
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Improving Reasoning: Analysing alternative approaches
In this article, Malcolm Swan describes a teaching approach designed to improve the quality of students' reasoning.
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Take one example
This article introduces the idea of generic proof for younger children and illustrates how one example can offer a proof of a general result through unpacking its underlying structure.
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Reasoning and Convincing at KS1 - Primary teachers
The tasks in this collection can be used to encourage children to convince others of their reasoning, using 'because' statements.
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Reasoning and Convincing at KS2 - Primary teachers
The tasks in this collection can be used to encourage children to convince others of their reasoning, by first convincing themselves, then a friend, then a 'sceptic'.